Paper Mag gets some famous female faces to drag

Ladies in suits, can I get a “Hell, yeah!” Paper magazine’s September issue gives us plenty of reasons to cheer — 12 in fact — with its fashion spread featuring women in drag. The project, none-too-subtly titled “She’s Got Balls: 12 Creative Women Get in Touch With Their Masculine Side” features some famous faces sprouting facial hair and more. The result is one part fascinating, one part weird and one part hot damn. Hello, Jenny Shimizu, you’re looking very Mad Max today.

The spread features an assortment of creative types — from models like Shimizu to actresses, designers and musicians. Each woman also talks a bit about her masculine tendencies. For instance, if Shimizu was a man for a day she’d spend it in the gay bathhouse getting up close and, um, personal with the clientele. Well, I guess it’s good to have goals.

Others like little DawnieMichelle Trachtenberg discussed what clothing she feels most comfortable in (jeans), who her friends are (mostly boys) and what kind of sense of humor she has (dirty). “I talk and think like a boy,” she told the magazine. I’m not sure if Buffy would approve of that or her Gordon Gekko look.

Some of the transformations are unrecognizable. Like this is model Veronica Webb. No, really. When asked what kind of man she would like to be, she said: “I’d want Stephen Colbert‘s mind and LeBron James’ body. I’d unite the world with sports and humor — actually, no, I would take Angie from Brad and rule the world” See, now that’s a goal I can get behind.

Also unrecognizable was actress Gretchen Mol. No, really, really. Is it a compliment if I say she cleans down really well?

Samantha Ronson’s fashion designer sister Charlotte Ronson also posed for the project. She told the magazine that pretending to be a boy was easy: “I just had to stand there and be serious and not smile, and I’m very good at that.” Well, seems she does have something in common with her sister besides that last name.

Samantha Mathis and artist friend Josephine Meckseper look like a gay couple out of the Dust Bowl. They had those in The Grapes of Wrath, right?

I’m not entirely sure what the shoot was meant to accomplish, other than to have a little fun with gender and even more fun with menswear. But any time a gal wants to put on a suit, I’ll be there like Tom Joad, ready to enjoy it. See the full collection here.